Those Portals
by Morlimox
Summary: Request. After finally escaping Aperture Science Laboratories, Chell finds herself being taken in by strange, color-biased mercenaries. This story documents her adventures with them. Maybe a little romance in the future  Reviews much appreciated


It's been days. Days since I was finally released from that… institution. I had no memory on how I had ever gotten to be in that place, or why I had signed up for that… testing. I had never been paid. I risked my life almost every waking moment. People I had never known watched me, experimented with me, possibly even on me, and I had no way of knowing. I had almost escaped that hell once, but in vain. I was dragged back in, only to wake up many years later and almost repeat what I had done the first time. However, with a stroke of luck, fate, or however anyone would like to dub it as, my captor finally allowed my release, through much sweat, blood, and many tears, friends made and lost, and here I now stood, at the edge of what I had first thought an endless field of gold. I had considered leaving behind her last jab, this reminder of what I had been through, but the Weighted Companion Cube was almost alive. Something in me wouldn't allow me to just throw it away, like how my captor enthusiastically encouraged me to do once so long ago. I knew if I had left it, a part of my newly discovered self would be gone forever. Besides….

It made a really nice chair.

So now, off of that serious flow of thoughts, time for some practicality. I think that GLaDOS had injected me with something, a supplement of some kind, so I would not have to eat for an extended period of time. Well, whatever she had done, I was hungry. No seriously. I feel like something is tearing my middle out while being dissolved in acid. As I was saying, I had come to the edge of this endless field, I was hungry as all hell, paranoid from being in captivity for so long, filthy for not washing in years(probably a decade, haha), and totally not anxious at all about the possibility of me finding another human, let alone a friendly one who would be willing to help me out. So about now I had come up to a forest, a small one per se, but a forest indeed. If I squint my eyes, I could see what might have been a hint of the other side. Or at least a clearing, I guess.

And so, off I went. My feet ached within my long fall boots, once a clean white, but now dirt streaked with a film of dust. The portal gun was somehow just the way it had been in the facility, never dirty, and never broken. Now, you're probably thinking, 'Why doesn't she just use her portal gun?' Well, last time I checked, soil isn't exactly a surface you can place a portal on.

I continued walking against the will of my protesting feet, passing under the cool shade the trees provided. There wasn't much sign of life, other than the occasional bird chirp in the trees. It didn't look like much around here was edible, but then again, I have no memory of ever taking a wilderness survival class. At the thought of food, my stomach rumbled. Loudly.

Almost as if that had been a cue, a loud explosion sounded. In the sky, I saw the top of a small mushroom cloud and I gulped nervously before changing direction towards the place.

Some minutes later, I came upon some concrete and a chain-link fence. Behind it was a large, industrial looking building that was painted blue in several places. It also had a rather large hole in one of the smaller buildings that surrounded it. By now it was pretty much past sundown and I was almost ready to go find somewhere to sleep amidst the trees, but then I felt a droplet of water hit my face. For the first time since I was free, it started to rain. Quickly, I shot a portal onto the concrete that extended past the chain link fence and then another portal onto the wall in the entrance of what looked like a doorway. I stepped though, crouched and ready for anything with my trusty Weighted Companion Cube. There was no one around, but now I was out of the rain thankfully. Looking out of the entranceway, I instinctively pressed myself against the wall, out of sight.

There was a camera on the wall. Its telltale red light signified it was on. It didn't move, thankfully, but hopefully, these cameras would be just as easy to take out. I kept the orange portal on the wall where I had come out, and shot the blue one right at the camera, thusly disconnecting it from the wall in a shower of sparks.

Grinning smugly, I emerged from around the corner searching for other cameras. There was one more that I could see, and I dealt with it the same way. It would be really cool to explore this place, but first I had to find some food. I had just finished that thought when a heavenly aroma of barbecued ribs floated through the damp air towards me. Following the smell, it led me to an entrance with double-swinging doors with small windows. On the way, I had noticed a small building had been obliterated via explosion, probably where the mushroom cloud had originated from. Standing on tiptoe I could barely see over the bottom edge of the window, and even so only at an awkward angle. Cursing my short height and the tall doors I placed the Companion Cube at the base of the door to my right, jumped onto it, and peered in.

A rather large industrial kitchen was being used by a man wearing a strange blue military uniform along with a matching helmet. He was grilling ribs. A lot of them. There were at least 12 piles of them as tall as he was and he was still making more. I watched him for awhile, stomach pleading, until another man came into the kitchen. He appeared to be wearing a construction-worker's hat, overalls, work boots, a work belt, and a giant wrench clipped to it somehow. He wore the same colors(generally) that the other man did, welding goggles slung around his neck, and he also sported a pair of yellow knee pads.

He engaged the other man in casual conversation, eyes sweeping the room appreciatively. Too late did I realize that he might see me before we abruptly made eye contact. I froze for a moment, my breath in a hitch, before I dropped from on the Companion Cube, picked it up, and ran(walked) as fast as I could in my long fall boots, cursing them on their hindrance of my speed. I was about to round a corner when I heard the doors burst open and a Texan sounding accent calling for me to wait. Panicking, I tried to jog, only to stumble and trip, crashing into a wall. I heard rapid footsteps clear the corner and I whipped around, holding my portal gun threateningly. The man in the overalls was standing about 20 feet in front of me, holding out his hands non-threateningly.

"Ma'am, ah mean ya no harm," he said, stepping slightly closer. Biting my lip, I prepared to shoot the portal gun, though I wasn't sure what it might do to humans.

He smiled pleasantly at me made no move closer. The next thing he said made me willing to comply with any commend he might give, no matter the cost.

"How 'bout ya'll put down your gun there and we go inside and chat over a nice meal of ribs. No need for any bloodshed."

His words made me smile for the first time in… who knows? But I didn't care. Eager to eat, I nodded enthusiastically and lowered the portal gun, picking up the companion cube again. For a moment, the man's eyes widened in amazement, before changing to admiration and curiosity. He held out his hand, and, a little hesitant, I took it.

He led me back to the double doors, pushed them open, and helped me inside. The other mysterious man was gone, along with most of the plates except 2. A hastily scribbled note lay next to it.

The man in the overalls let go of my hand for a moment and picked up the note, reading it. Grinning, he tucked the note in one of his many pockets and took a plate in each hand.

"It looks like Solly made a bit too much of his famous ribs," he chuckled before walking to a small table at the end of the kitchen. I followed him, only halfway listening. The ribs were almost glowing. They were waiting for me. Me. I felt wetness on my chin and rapidly rubbed it off with my arm. I had just met this guy and I didn't want to be embarrassed by my drooling.

"So," he said, setting the plates down and pulling out chairs for the both of us. "M'names Dell. Dell Conagher. But ya'll can just call me Engie, for the sake of mah job here. I'm the Engineer for this team and ah try to fix all problems that come my way. Might I know who you are?"

I sat down in my chair while he took the other. I wasn't sure how my voice would sound after not using it for years. Hell, I didn't even know what it sounded like, or even if I could talk, for I had never spoken during my time at Aperture Science Laboratories. Taking a breath to steady myself, I spoke in a surprisingly clear, albeit raspy voice.

"Chell. My name is… Chell."


End file.
